Promoting more equitable conditions of learning and development for students, families, and educators; such conditions are more likely to result when whole-person initiatives are implemented within aligned and coherent systems.

To support state education agency (SEA) leaders in establishing a statewide vision for serving the whole person, WestEd drafted and piloted the guide, Serving the Whole Person: An Alignment and Coherence Guide for State Education Agencies, in collaboration with several SEAs.

“The theory of change behind this guide is that if educators at every level of the K–12 system work in aligned and coherent ways to sustain equitable conditions of success that support whole-person learning and development, then each and every student will have the experiences that support personal purpose, healthy relationships, a sense of place in community, success in school and the workplace, and engaged citizenship.”
– Natalie Walrond and Natalie Romer

This case story describes how the Ohio Departments of Public Safety (DPS), Education (DOE), and Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) developed a collaborative approach to inventorying whole-child efforts, using and adapting the SEA Alignment and Coherence Guide to comprehensively review their statewide initiatives. It also shares key insights that may benefit other SEAs as they consider their own efforts to improve the alignment and coherence of their whole-person or whole-child initiatives.

This case story is also related to a WestEd service that provides alignment and coherence guidance for state and local agencies. Discover how our technical assistance team can lead you through a structured yet flexible process to improve the alignment and coherence of whole-person efforts in your state or district.